Thumbnail photo courtesy of Del Norte Ambulance (Updated at 5:07 p.m. to clarify that it was Walter Lara Jr. that helped facilitate a partnership between the Yurok Tribe and Del Norte Ambulance to open a station in Klamath.] Del Norte Ambulance’s operations manager confirmed a statement District 5 Supervisor Dean Wilson made earlier this month — the emergency medical provider will have an ambulance and a crew stationed in Klamath. “We are working with the Yurok Housing Authority on a partnership for securing housing for us on a trial basis of one year while we place one of our four ambulances there,” Charles Tweed told Redwood Voice Community News on Thursday. “Two people will be staffed in that ambulance at any given time.” This news comes about two weeks after an independent consultant, EndPoint EMS Consulting LLC, delivered an analysis of Del Norte County’s emergency medical system, finding that Klamath residents often waited up to 45 minutes for an ambulance to arrive during an emergency. Del Norte Ambulance hopes to be able to move one of its vehicles into the new Klamath station in about two months, Tweed said. But there are still a number of issues it’s working on with the tribe, including radio communication and figuring out the technology needs for dispatching. Del Norte Ambulance has an address, but Tweed said the EMS provider wasn’t quite ready to announce what that address is yet. “We don’t want to announce it until we have the keys in our hands,” he said, adding that the company’s founder, Ron Sandler, had been trying to set up a Klamath station “almost his entire career.” Being able to realize this goal was largely due to Wilson’s involvement as well as Yurok Tribal elder Walter Lara Sr Jr., Tweed said. Del Norte Ambulance staffs four vehicles with three stationed in Crescent City and one stationed in Fort Dick. Though the fourth vehicle will be stationed in Klamath once that station’s up and running, it will be subject to move around the county depending on call volume, Tweed said. “For example, if all the ambulances are being utilized in Crescent City, the one from Fort Dick moves into town,” he said. “If all those ambulances are being utilized, the one from Klamath will move into Crescent City. We’re going to utilize our equipment to serve the most people at any given time.” Del Norte Ambulance’s new Klamath station comes as it seeks an exclusive operating agreement with Del Norte County. EndPoint EMS Consulting was commissioned by North Coast Emergency Medical Services, the joint powers authority that consists of Del Norte, Humboldt and Lake counties. North Coast EMS hired the consultant as part of a request for proposals process to either renew Del Norte Ambulance’s contract once it expires in 2027 or find a new provider. Del Norte Ambulance had sought to be grandfathered into an exclusive operating agreement based since they’ve been in continual business since before 1981. However, after receiving input from local fire chiefs, the Board of Supervisors decided to seek other proposals. At a Board meeting earlier this month, Tweed urged supervisors to reconsider their stance. In its analysis, EndPoint EMS found that Del Norte Ambulance was meeting the minimum requirements of its contract with the county. Within the greater Crescent City area and the Bertsch-Oceanview area, an ambulance was able to respond to an emergency call in 10 minutes or less. In more remote areas response times were between 15 minutes and “less than 45 minutes,” according to EndPoint representative John Eaglesham. According to Tweed, a low call volume in the Klamath area often leads to delays in response times, but Del Norte Ambulance also has to contend with Last Chance Grade and other road construction. “There was a lot of Last Chance Grade closures with signal control,” he said. “That was signal control for one lane, so even with lights and sirens, we couldn’t push our way through that.” Road construction and traffic delays are part of life for an ambulance company in a rural area, Tweed said “We get notices on planned road work and so we definitely collaborate and offer assistance and look for guidance when those things [occur],” he said. Tweed thanked Wilson, Lara and the Yurok Housing Authority for helping Del Norte Ambulance strengthen its service to Klamath residents. “We’re very excited,” he said. “This is something that’s been very special to Ron for years, the attempt to make it happen, and it’s going to be a huge success for the residents in Klamath.”